About Jerry

Jerry Ghionis is widely celebrated as being among the top five best wedding photographers in the world. He has emerged as one of the most influential wedding photographers of the 21st century. Inheriting the strong european sense of style and panache that’s synonymous with the Greek culture, combined with the relaxed Australian sensibility, Jerry and his wife, Melissa, are based in Las Vegas, USA and Melbourne, Australia. Together they travel frequently on international photography assignments and speaking engagements. Married in January 2011, Jerry and Melissa work as a team and have developed a powerful creative and business force.

With the flair of a fashion designer and the ingenuity of an architect, his style can be described as vintage glamour meets contemporary fashion. Renowned for his creativity, he not only has the ability to capture natural magic on a wedding day but he creates magic of his own. His love and empathy for people creates powerful visual storytelling. With the innate ability to make everyone look and feel beautiful in front of his camera, Jerry’s images are often simple yet a complex blend of soul, drama, imagination and technical skill. Whether he is shooting a glamour session, lifestyle portrait or a boudoir beauty, Jerry has the ability to bring out the best in any situation.

Although his signature style is recognizable, Jerry has reinvented himself countless times over the 25 years he has been shooting professionally. He has been described as predictably unpredictable. Just when you think his work has reached its limits he surprises you with yet another reinvention.

Born in 1973, Jerry was obsessed with photography after he was given his first camera at the age of fifteen. After completing high school in 1990, Jerry started a four year photography course but quit after one year, as he was tired of his teachers trying to teach him to "save the world" with one photograph.

In 1994, after working at a few camera stores, Jerry approached a popular studio in Melbourne and offered to work for no pay on weekends and did so for the next year. He soon adopted the role as studio manager and principal photographer. Eager to spread his wings, Jerry started his own business in 1997 and became the backbone of one of Australia’s largest and most respected studios, shooting over 300 weddings a year with fifteen staff members. After ten years of operating a high volume studio, Jerry sold it to explore other opportunities.

Jerry launched a new boutique studio in 2009 in the prestigious Docklands precinct of Victoria Harbour in Melbourne and catered to discerning clients who demand the best. As a teenager, Jerry’s dream was to own a studio and shoot in the bright California sun like his hero and biggest inspiration, Herb Ritts. His dream was realized in 2011, when he and Melissa established their second location in Beverly Hills, California with a rooftop studio. In 2017, Jerry and his wife Melissa relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States where they operate a successful photography and education business that caters to a sophisticated international clientele.

Grand Master of WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) and the most awarded photographer of that organization, Jerry has won the WPPI International Wedding Album of the Year for an unprecedented eight times and they included Jerry in their top five wedding photographers in the world. A proud Nikon USA Ambassador, Jerry was named in the first ever list of Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the world by American Photo Magazine. Jerry has won the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) Victorian Wedding Photographer of the Year three times and was also named as the 2011 Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year by the AIPP. Jerry has achieved the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) Diamond Level Photographer of the Year Award four times. In 2009, Jerry won the SWPP (Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers) Photographer of the Year Award among ten major awards he won that year. In 2011, Jerry was named by PDN magazine as one of the top photography workshop instructors in the world. And in 2014, Jerry received a United Nations IPC (International Photography Community) Photography Leadership Award. In 2016, Jerry won the AIPP Australian Album of the Year for the third time and was named the AIPP Australian Fashion Photographer of the Year. In 2017, Jerry became one of the youngest Grand Master of the AIPP which makes him only one of 2 people in the world who have achieved the title of Grand Master of WPPI and the AIPP.

Jerry developed a love for sharing his knowledge and has been doing so since 2000. He continues to be one of the most respected and sought after teachers and public speakers in the photography industry. Known for his quick wit and his contagious sense of humor, Jerry is a rare breed of artist who can also teach his craft and be a successful entrepreneur. Known as the MacGyver of photography, Jerry has the innate ability to turn ordinary situations into extraordinary images. He has been able to teach photographers how to see in a way they never have before. It is not only about bringing the best out of any situation but also how to be more creative, run a successful business and have a balanced and fruitful life.

Jerry created Jerry Ghionis Photography Training, a photography training website, designed the Ice Light, a revolutionary LED continuous light and also designed the Omega Reflector, the world’s first 15-in-1 shoot through reflector. But one of Jerry’s greatest passions is the creation of his non-profit charity, the Soul Society, which he cofounded with Melissa. Their charity was created with the purpose of caring for the poor, homeless and orphaned children in third world countries, one soul at a time.

Jerry has been featured in articles published in American Photo, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, Pro Photo, Image Maker, Capture, The Age, The Sun, The City Weekly and many others. His images have graced the covers of over forty magazines and countless fashion editorials.

He continues to raise the benchmark of excellence as an artist who is admired and respected by his peers and loved by his clients.

“The Nikon Ambassadors are authorized by Nikon to demonstrate to the public and professional image makers the capabilities and use of Nikon imaging products, but the expressive content of their work is solely their own. Nikon Ambassadors are independent contractors and visual artists and are not employees of Nikon. Nikon Ambassadors are responsible for the content of their photographs, websites, exhibitions, and visual images and the manner in which such content and images are obtained. Any messages, beliefs, or viewpoints expressed in the Nikon Ambassadors’ photographs, websites, exhibitions, or visual images do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs or viewpoints of Nikon or any Nikon employee.”